Steering gear



Nov. 11,1924. l 1,515,024( `A..` FLETTNER k y STEERING GEAR Filed Jan. 25, 1923 l .arm` I IlIlflIIIIIIIIIIIIIHHHIH -mf ,Y

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ill, 11924.

, UNITED STATES PATENT UFFICE.. f

A mon rnETTNEn, or BERLIN-Schuurmans, GERMANY. Y l I y rsessualita'@1MR- I y, nppuaauon mea January 25,1923. serial No. 614,915. j,

To all wiom t may 'l A Be it `known that I, ANTON FLETTNER, a citizen of Germany, yresiding Schoneberg, German have 1nvented certam new and useful mprovements in Steering Gears, of which the following is a specication. j i i My invention relates to. steering gears for water and air craft and in particular to steering gears of the kindv in which.. one

auxiliary rudders arey provided with the aidof which the -main rudder isA or several controlled. 'With rudder arrangements of this kind the gearv for actuating the auxil` iary rudder or rudders and for effecting the relative ymovements, between this or these rudders, and the main rudder respectively certaln conditions, suc

States Ser. Nos.`392,839 and 392,840.

As stated in the specicationsrforming part of these applications, the steering. gear must be so designed thatwhen `themain rudder has beendetlected by the auxiliary j rudder, this latter is moved back into its zero-position, but 'thatalso in the casel of undesired movements of the main rudder the auxiliary `rudder is soadj usted that it moves the main rudder back into its zero-position.

In the former application above referred to I have proposedv tov house the gear members inagear box located in the hull directly above the main rudder shaft and carried by that gear member which transmits the motion `from the gearv box to the rudders throughthe hollo rudder shaft or journal. ThisA gear box wi as a rule, move together with the rudder, p or base plate is providedv which supports the ear members, the position of which relativeIy to the hull is not altered. Owing .to this arrangement the whole operating geai is easil accessible from the hull'so that it can ge permanently attached and is not iniuenced by disturbances caused by Water or air currents or by foreign bodies.

The present invention has for its object certain arrangements-of the steering gear above referred to which are `designed to restrict as far `as ssible the number of gear members provi ed for moving the ruder to simpli the shape of such members in order to o tain the maximum security mission gearv of the Ibe divided in two parts in suchia ,lower edge thereof.

whereas a second gear box'.

of service'and to render-fall dri'ving'iiem-ik member transmitting the rotary motion to the auxiliary-rudden--and in the rudder itself, or in capsattached thereto` a transsimplest kind, suchk as aparallel crank gearing, is provided.

-This gearing is preferably constructed to'form a double parallel-guide. It is'preferably disposed, as far as feasible, in the upper ,part-of the rudder; itmay, however, v manner, that part which is located nearest to the auxiliary. rudder, yis housed inthe upper part of the main' rudder, whereas the other part is located in the proximity of therudder axis, or the rudder journal and near the renders it possible to journal of comparatively great length and great simplicity affording full protection for the guide members of the parallel'crank gearing and being subjected only to moderate stresses;

along *the rudderv shafty or' v This arrangement provide a rudder" In .the drawings affixed to this tion and forming part thereof ar steering gear embodying my4 invention is illustrated diagrammatically'by way of example.

In the. drawings--v Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in vertical section and Figure 2 is a corresponding plan, the main rudder journal being, however, omitted.

Referring tothe drawings a is the main rudder -capable of turningl freely about its axis; b is the auxiliary rudder fixed onn its spindles;;c is they main rudder journal through which extends a spindle d. transmitting motion to the auxiliary rudder b; t is the gear box and p is an electromotor fedwith current through mains g and serving to operate suitable gearing lenclosed in the gear box by means of bevel gearing 7', fu. w is a quadrant insert between the gear box `and the spindle d and serving for actuating the mainl rudder in an emergency. Spindle d has attached to its lower end a double-armed lever e connected with another double-armed lever f by two parallel rods g the members e f forming the first half of the double par el crank gearing near the the auxiliary rudder b. The members i l la form the second half` of the double parallel crank gearing,the two halves being connected with each other by the shaft h.

The use of a double parallel crank gearing and the arrangement of the two valvesk at different levels, are not restricted to steering gears the other members of.-which are located in the hull, but maybe used as well in those cases where certain members of the gearing are disposed onk or inthe main rudder body. By sub-dividingthe double parallel vcrankvgearing in two halves, it is possible in either casev to protect the greater part thereof from exterior influences, for instance, ifk the rudder is ldragged along upon the rcomprising in combination a main rudder' shaft and a main rudder freely movable 'about its axis, an auxiliary rudder spindle carried by said main rudderv and an auxiliary /rudder'on said spindle, a driving spindle exground, this part being accessible from above inevery case.'v It may further be specially protected from above by` a cover-` plate 'o or the like.

I wishit to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details'of construction shown and deseribed,ffor yobvious modications will 'occurto a person skilledin the art.

l; Steering gear for water and air craft comprising in combination a shipfs hull a main rudder shaftprojecting from said hull and amain rudder freely movable about its axis, an auxiliary rudder spindle carried by rsaid main rudder and an auxiliary rudderV on said spindle, a driving spindle extending axially along said shaft all the means for operating said driving spindle being disposed inside said hull and only a parallel crank gearing being disposed outside said hull and connecting said driving spindle with said auxiliary rudder spindle.

2. Steering gear-for water and air craft comprising in 'combination a Ships hull, a

spindle with said auxiliary rudder spindle.

3. Steering gear for water and air craft comprising in combination a main rudder shaft and a main rudder freely movable about its axis, an auxiliary rudder spindle carried by said main rudder and an auxiliary rudder on said spindle, a driving spindle extending axially along said shaft and a parallel crank gearing connecting said driving spindle with said auxiliary rudder spindle,

said gearing ybeing subdivided in two halves,

one being dis-posed near the upper and oney near the lower edge of said main rudder.

4.*Steering gear for water and air craft tending axially along said shaft and a parallel crank gearing extending through said main rudder and connecting said driving spindle with said auxiliary rudder spindle.

5. Steering gear forwater and air craft comprising 1n combination, a main rudder shaft and a main rudder lfreely movable about its axis, an auxiliary rudder spindle carried by said main rudder 'and an auxiliary rudder on said spindle, a driving spindle extending axially along said shaft and a paral` lel crank gearing extending through said main rudder and connecting said driving spindle with said auxiliary rudder spindle, said gearing being subdivided in two halves,

one being disposed near the upper and one near the lower edge of said main rudder.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature.

ANTON FLETTN ER. i 

